LCF-s01e02
= Ability Improvements = * Dr. Orpheus raised Fisticuffs from a Poor to a Poor+. = Previously On... = Count Masterson is sitting behind a fashionable, but plain, wooden desk when you enter his room, a side office in what appears to be one of his summer homes. You were summoned to an address which appeared to be an abandoned accounting office, but soon, a large steam automobile arrived to pick you all up, and whisk you away swiftly to this location in the Country, near the coast to the North/Northeast of London. He greets you all warmly, introducing himself properly to Dr. O and Ting Wu (he has already formally met Colonel Gentleman and Edward). He is dressed rather plainly, and appears to have been perusing some financial documents. "I wanted to thank you all properly for saving my dear sweet Cecily. She is a wild one, but I think the incident last night was a bit too wild even for her taste. She is recuperating at the Our Lady of the Blessed Light sanitarium. The Bonifacians say she will make a full recovery, given time." "Still, despite her mental trauma, she would not even be here, alive in this world, without your help. I do not know how to thank you more with words, but if I can take a moment of your time, I would like to make a proposition." "It is clear to me that you four are quite extraordinary among the general population of Great Britain. If you will forgive my intrusions, I have made some select informal inquiries with various contacts. I found that you are all of a character unlike the common folk, exceptionally talented in some inquiries, and more importantly, without pressing social concerns that would keep you within the borders of our lovely isle." "Ah, but enough of me blabbering on, I just wanted you to know that I'm impressed with your skills, and would like to sanction an excursion, with you as the intrepid adventurers. I will provide all of the supplies and transportation that you would need." "Of course, all adventures must have some sort of goal, and I have one that has been riding at the back of my mind for some time now, ever since the funding of my last expedition into Egypt." "Have you ever heard of the Codex of Alexander? Yes, the Alexander, Alexander the Great." At this point Dr. O and Ting Wu both interject that they have, but only in legends. Dr. O knows that supposedly, it is a great magical text that was lost in lore, with the power to destroy nations, cure all diseases, raise the dead, and bring peace to the world. Of course, these legends are greatly exagerrated, as no known copy of the Codex of Alexander has ever been found, and references to the Codex come from secondary sources (the generals and historians that wrote after Alexander died). Ting Wu knows a similar set of lore, except the proper names are a bit more vague, referring only to the "Dragon-slaying conquerer from the West" and the mighty human kingdom that spanned the entire known world. She knows of the Library of Alexandria, which supposedly had copies of all the magical texts in the world, and was subsequently destroyed in a fire (several fires, in some accounts, destroying successive iterations of the building). Oddly enough, Colonel Gentleman interjects as well (OOC:Ace of Diamonds was drawn at this point, lucky bastard), stating "I've heard, erm, in some of my travels that parts of the Codex are still around, and they aren't so much a magical text but an authoritative account of Alexander's life and kingdom, a sort of dictated journal kept by his closest friends and colleagues." With that, Ruprecht smiles and says "Indeed, that is what I was getting at. Now, in our latest dig at Egypt, we have found remains of what appeared to be a transportation log to or from the Library of Alexandria. From what my expedition was able to determine, some of the scrolls either bound for or taken from the Library before one of the catastrophic fires were saved. They were kept in a dry, magickally preserved clay and sandalwood case, with the sign of a rearing cobra emblazoned on the clay as a seal." "Apparently, this case was sold or stolen through several dealers and merchants. The known whereabouts of this scroll case was a reference just after the 3rd Crusade, where a French Templar had the scroll case in his shipping manifest, possibly as payment. Of course, the assets of all the French Templars were acquired in a hostile takeover by Philip the IV on October 13th, 1307, though the Order itself managed to survive. Philip the IV died shortly thereafter... conspiracy theorists point to a Templar retributive strike, but nothing has ever been proven." "As for the sandalwood scroll case? The story would have ended there, with the case locked away under the coffers of the French monarchy, had it not been for the French Revolution. During the French Revolution, many of the storehouses of the French monarchy were pillaged and raided. However, an astute monk was able to secrete away many so-called "holy relics" and brought them to safety at Chateau de Ranton, a small fortified castle a few miles west of Loudun in the Loire Valley. There, supposedly the artifacts have remained until the modern day." "Our window of opportunity lies here, gentleman and esteemed lady. For the "La Bonne Dame de Ranton" church is undergoing a large reconstruction, and in order to raise the funds for the construction site, they have decided to auction off their inventory of "heathen and un-Christian relics" to prospective buyers. I believe that one of these items may turn out to be the scroll case. What I would like for you to do is to acquire this scroll case, by any means necessary. I would prefer to do this the honorable way and purchase it by auction, but first, we would have to identify the case in the first place." "I have arranged for you all to have passports to travel freely into and out of France. The consulate has been appropriately, erm, compensated to expediate your paperwork. That is, of course, if you agree to go. I assure you, every expense will be paid on this trip, and you will be well provisioned on this journey." "Oh, one more thing... my younger brother Travers is to be going with you. He's a bit of a... well, pardon my language, but a Dastardly fellow, but I believe he is simply wild and lives to excess. He is young, and I think he will grow out of it. It will give him a good vacation while he decides what to do after being expelled from Oxford." "Why am I pursuing this? Well, it belongs in a museum", he says, as he smiles wryly. From what you know of the Count, it certainly matches his idiom. "If it actually DOES turn out to be a magickal text, though, I see no reason why it should be kept hidden like those other lorebooks that the various Sorcerous Orders clutch closely to their collective chests. If we do find a copy, it should be shared with all Magickers in Great Britain... perhaps, even the world, after some time." Edward: "Are you aware of any other specific parties who might be interested in acquiring the scroll at this time? If we can positively identify the scroll, will he be available (or will we provided with the funds necssary) to purchase it? Or is it the case that he intends us to abscond with it, regardless?" "Well, I can't bear to see any of the Wogs getting their hands on it. It wouldn't be proper, don't you think? After all, the British Museum is the finest museum of its kind, or rather, any kind throughout the entire world." Ting Wu raises an eyebrow, but says nothing. "It would fit well with the 300 BC exhibit that we were planning with the new space, once we, erm, repair that North Wing." "I would like you to acquire it, by any reasonable means necessary. If you do manage to take it without placing a bid at the auction, I will be happy to donate a substantial amount to the Society that is renovating the church, as payment for their losses. I won't stand for innocents being harmed, but I think you folks know enough to 'do the right thing', as it were. Just be... resourceful." "Still, I can imagine that a few groups might want to get a hold of it. I have a few rivals in terms of foreign expeditions to uncover History, and I know that some of those benefactors are nuts about Alexandrian Lore. I can't think of any Magickal Orders that would want it, but that sort of thing is beyond my ken. I can also imagine the Ottoman Empire or the Egyptian government wanting to acquire it." Edward: "How did the church manage to keep the item secure all these years? Surely, some of the more nefarious magical orders have attempted to acquire it?" "Simply put, it's probably a blind omission. Even if the scrolls WERE magickal (and I seriously doubt that they are), there was a lot of loot brought back by the Templars during the Crusades. Most of the Crusaders didn't even know how much wealth they owned, because all they saw were letters of credit. Imagine coming back home to your castle to find endless crates and barrels full of odds and ends. That Templar probably never even had a chance to see the scroll case." "Again, it would be my understanding that this monk who pilfered the case probably just took anything he thought would be a holy relic, dumped it on a wagon, and carted off to the monastery, without a second glance or thought. The monastery abbots probably gave the artifacts some sort of examination, but the value of such objects were probably tainted through the eyes of the Catholicism. Heathen or not heathen, that sort of thing." "And, from my understanding, the vast majority of Magickal Lore does not radiate any sort of Magickal Energy. Even if someone was looking for it, it would be as difficult as hunting for a single book in an unknown library, without any organization map to go by." "Again, I don't believe the Codex to be Magickal Lore, and this scrollcase probably isn't part of the Codex either... rather, it might be secondary sources that refer to the Codex or perhaps a reference to the location of where one might find it. It's a place to start, in other words." Ting Wu: "The first part of our journey will be by steam ship, I suppose, how will the second part of our trip take place? By rail?" Ting Wu sips her tea, attempting not to grimace. Well, one of my valets will meet you across the Channel. You can make arrangements to arrive at the Chateau de Ranton once you get there. While there are railways in France, you will still have to find some transportation to get you across the countryside. This means either automobiles or Carriages. (Any questions or comments can be sent to the listserv in reply to this post) = Episode = The party starts off at the docks, where they await the arrival of Travers Masterson. The steamship yacht, the HMS Bonnie Lass, was preparing to depart, so Dr. O cast a summonation to bring Travers, hung over and drunk, to the party. After departing, the party members engage in a game of cards with Edward. Dr. O went up to the bridge, where he found it locked and empty, with only a clockwork autopilot in control. At this point, the steward walked into the parlor, and fell down, killed by a star-shaped piece of metal. Assailants in black pajamas leap into the parlor, led by Gang Lei. Another attacker leaped out of the bridge to attack Dr. O. In the ensuing struggle, Dr. O barred the door and attempted to cast Flesh to Mineral. Ting Wu was wounded by Gang Rei, and Colonel Gentleman was wounded as well. The party was able to dispatch the attackers, when Gang Lei throws in a toxic gas bomb, incapacitating all but Edward, who engaged Gang Lei in a duel. Edward was scratched and Gang Lei was wounded, and Gang Lei jumped on top a crate for superior position, after which Edward shot him. The out-of-control steamship was sabotaged prior to the attack. Ting Wu used her limited Tinkering knowledge for the boiler while Dr. O animated the Captain to assist in piloting. Ting Wu cast a spell to control the water surrounding the vessel and they barely managed to take the yacht to port in France. After an uneventful journey to Ranton, the party is barred from entering the Auction, for being British (no thanks to a very uncouth Travers Masterson). They bribe the front guards to be let into the Auction. There, they find out the scrollcase was Lot Number 71. Awaiting the auction, Dr. O conversed with the 2 Americans, supposedly a lawyer Roger Schweitzer and a textile magnate Jacob Cotton, while Edward conversed with the French military guards. When it came time for the Auction of Lot 71, apparently it had disappeared or been tampered with, and was skipped. Ting Wu went out to investigate, and found the French soldiers sent to investigate, all unconscious. After a struggle with the French members of the Order of Ra that were attempting to escape with the scroll case (unceremoniously dumping them over the chateau's wall), the ornithopter that was their escape vehicle crashed, leaving a wreck. Colonel Gentleman found bits of the wrecked scroll case, and discovered a false bottom with several donut-shaped discs with a raised center ring and various numerals around the circumference. The party attempted to board their carriage, but the two Americans were running off in it, along with scrolls. While the party stopped the carriage, they weren't able to stop the Americans from leaving in a balloon. Ting Wu and Edward were arrested by the French military, but they were released after some convincing by Colonel Gentleman. The party returned to London with the circular objects, where Count Masterson's experts will research them. * Sword Canes lost - 2 (barring shut a door, and jamming it into an Ornithopter's gears) = Quotes = * "Leave some of the dead ones... we can get them to talk." - Doctor Byron Orpheus, referring to his powers of necromancy. * "I'm on good terms with the United States Freemasons. It's the French Chapter that I'm worr... oh shit, we're in France." - Doctor Byron Orpheus, on his world-spanning enemies. * "What the hell are Ninjas doing in England?" "What the hell ARE Ninjas?" - The party, pondering about the attack.